Jim and Pam: The Office Continues
by zebrastripes88
Summary: What will Jim and Pam's life be like after leaving their beloved home in Scranton? Chapter one takes a walk down memory lane and includes Jim's note to Pam and their first date.


The Office is one of my favorite shows and of course, Jim and Pam are one of my favorite fictional couples. I was heartbroken when the series ended, but thankfully, there's fan fiction. Much thanks to the wonderful writers of this show that made us laugh and cry for many years. Hope you enjoy my story!

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Pam Beasley-Halpert was sorting through random stuff in the storage closet in her and her husband Jim's "Just Sold" house. They were headed to Austin in just a week and there was still lots of packing to do. Pam was trying her hardest to get much of it done while their two kids were napping. Most of the items in this closet had been in one of the spare bedrooms, but after the birth of their son Philip, most of the stuff from that room had been shoved into the closet. On the top shelf, Pam saw the teapot Jim had got her for Christmas many years ago. She smiled as she gently picked it up and opened the lid. Inside was everything that he had given her with it, plus the note he had given her when he gave her the DVD the documentary people had put together for him. She opened the note; she hadn't read it since that day.

_You always know how to make me smile_

_You've been in my life for quite awhile_

_Before you laugh while reading this poem_

_There's just one thing I'd like you to know_

_I've never known someone that has made me as happy_

_I realize this is starting to get sappy_

_But please Pam, won't you consider_

_Leave Roy behind and let me be your Mister?_

_P.S. Sorry this is so lame. But seriously, think about it. Love, Jim._

This was written so long ago. Pam wondered what she would have told him if he had actually given it to her. She probably would have been kind of pissed, but also flattered. She knew she most likely wouldn't have just up and left Roy though. That would have been too difficult. And too risky. At the time, she had just considered Jim a friend and she would have been way too nervous that the relationship would end for some reason, and then their friendship would be over as well. Plus, there had been Roy. She had been with him for so long that the idea of being with anyone else had scared her. But after Jim had left, Pam had felt an emptiness in her life. It had nothing to do with her ending things with Roy, but it entirely had to do with the absence of Jim in her life. She sighed and gently folded the paper and placed it back in the teapot. How things had changed! Jim hadn't wasted any time when he had come back to Scranton. He had asked Pam out on a date the moment he had returned. Pam would never forget how happy she had felt when he asked. Nor would she ever forget that special evening they had spent together.

**Flashback to Jim and Pam's first date that the show never showed us:**

Jim couldn't believe he had finally done it. He had asked Pam out on a date. For most people, denying a job, dumping your current girlfriend, and asking another woman out on a date all in the same day would be crazy, but for him, it felt just right. Just another typical day in the life of Jim Halpert. This wasn't any ordinary woman he had randomly asked out. This was Pam, the woman of his dreams. The woman he was in love with. He only hoped that she finally felt the same way he felt for her. Things had been weird between them lately. He didn't know what to blame it on. Had it been because he had told her he was in love with her? Had it been him leaving? Had it been him coming back and dating Karen? He really didn't know. He assumed she must have some feelings for him or else she wouldn't have ended things with Roy. Other than that though, he didn't have any answers. But, she had said yes to dinner and that was a start.

He looked at himself in the mirror. He hated how tired he looked but there was nothing he could do. It had been a crazy two days. He glanced at his watch and realized it was time for him to leave to pick Pam up. He quickly adjusted the collar on his shirt and then headed outside to his car.

Pam sprayed the can of hairspray quickly over her hair. It wasn't perfect, but it didn't look too bad. If anything, it was an improvement to how she normally wore it to work. She was wearing a simple grey dress with a black belt and some black kitten heels. She really hated her wardrobe. One of these days, she would go shopping. Roy had been so picky about all of her clothes. Anytime she bought something new, he would give her a look of disapproval when she wore it. Heaven forbid another man look at her! She sighed and smoothed out the dress. Like her hair, it was a step up from her normal work attire.

She sat down in the living room and casually flipped through a magazine while waiting for Jim. As she was reading an article on how to get stains out of microfiber couches, she quickly put down the magazine when she heard a loud knock at her door. She walked over to open it and let Jim in. He looked very handsome in his sweater and collared shirt combination. He smiled and gave her a quick hug.

His eyes glanced up and down at Pam. "Wow, you look amazing," he said.

"You're looking pretty sharp yourself, Halpert!" she grinned.

"As much as I'd like to come check out your new place, I made reservations for 7:30 so we need to get going," he said as he reached out and gently took her hand.

Pam was a little surprised as she felt his hand intertwined with hers but she lightly gave it a squeeze to show him that she didn't mind a bit. "Oooh, a reservation! Very impressive," she looked up at him, her eyes clearly showing just how excited she was. Roy had always taken her to super casual bars or chain restaurants where one never knew just how long they would have to wait before being sat at a table.

The drive on the way to The Blue Buoy, a nice seafood restaurant, sparked some casual conversation, mostly about their expectations of the restaurant as neither one had ever been there before.

After their appetizer-fried calamari with marinara dipping sauce-had arrived, Jim took a deep breath before he started to talk. "So, about today," he began, "I didn't take the position." Pam nodded her head knowingly, urging Jim to continue. "It just didn't feel right. None of it felt right. But this right here?" he motioned with his fingers back and forth at himself and Pam, "This is what feels right. Pam, I know I blew it when I told you how I felt. I never should have done that and jeopardized what you had with Roy. It was a stupid thing to do and very selfish of me. But, if you would at least consider it, I'd like to do whatever I can to make things right and hopefully, be in your life again because, god, I've missed you so much."

Pam felt her eyes water up and quickly wiped away a tear that was threatening to run down her face. "Yeah, yes, that's what I want too! I've missed you like crazy. Well, you know from the night at the lake." Pam had sputtered out those few phrases because she was just so blown away by what Jim had said. She had been thrilled that he wanted to spend this evening with her, but to say all of that was quite a surprise.

"Good," he said, "I'm glad. I thought maybe you'd still be mad at me or something. I was an idiot."

"You told me the truth," she took both of his hands in hers, "I was lying to myself for such a long time. I thought I was in love with Roy. I think I was for awhile, but not the past couple of years I was with him. I found myself more excited to spend time with you than with him."

"Because I'm awesome," Jim grinned. Pam lightly swatted at him, laughing.

For awhile, the two of them were quiet. Their main dishes came out and they talked about how delicious everything was. They exchanged sips of their glasses of wine and snickered amongst themselves about an older gentleman sitting across the room who was clearly on a date with a woman at least forty years younger than him.

Jim took care of the bill and took Pam's hand as they walked out, her other hand held a Styrofoam box with a half-eaten slice of strawberry cheesecake inside. The radio in the car was playing classic rock songs to which Jim half-sang along with. Pam giggled and made fun of his singing so he dared her to try to sing along. She did, but failed miserably because she hardly knew any of the words to "Bohemian Rhapsody".

"How do you _not _know this song?" Jim asked in mock surprise. Pam simply shrugged.

Before Pam had a chance to open her door, Jim was at her side doing it for her. He walked her upstairs to her front door.

"Hey, you can come inside, if you want," she offered.

Jim could feel his heart racing a bit. He never expected Pam to be so…comfortable with everything. She willingly had went on the date and, bonus points, dressed up for him. She had responded incredibly well to his apology. He didn't know if she felt the same way he did for her, but it certainly seemed so.

As he walked inside, he took his shoes off so he wouldn't accidentally track in any dirt on her spotless white carpet. Pam had excused herself for a second. He looked around the living room at the cheerful looking décor that was casually spread around it. In the corner was a record player, dating back at least to the 1970's. Underneath it was a crate of old albums. He bent down and casually thumbed through them. A couple of Elvis, one of The Monkees, at least three or four Beatles, and a few others as well.

"My grandma gave me all of those," Pam said as she walked back into the room. "You can put one on if you'd like." Her palms felt a bit sweaty. She had felt awful bold earlier asking Jim to come inside. She blamed the wine she had drank at dinner. But now, she felt genuinely nervous. What would happen next? Did he expect them to sleep together? He probably did. Guys don't say yes to entering girls' apartments just to have a drink and a good conversation, right? She was glad she was actually wearing her lace panties and matching bra. Just in case.

Jim picked one of the Beatles albums and put it on the record player and positioned the needle. "Here Comes The Sun" began to play. He turned down the volume just a tad before making his way over to the couch where Pam was seated.

"You want to dance?" he cocked his head slightly, feeling sort of lame for asking something like that. But he honestly didn't know what else to say and that was the first thing that had come to mind.

She nodded her head and he took her hand and walked with her to the middle of the living room. There wasn't a lot of space but there was some room between the coffee table and the TV cabinet. He put his arms around her waist and pulled her close to him. She put her arms around his neck casually and they both swayed along to the music, not really dancing. They both felt like two awkward teenagers dancing at prom. When the song had finished, Jim pulled Pam closer and placed his hand under her chin and kissed her softly on the lips. He continued to kiss her as he felt her kiss him back. Next thing he knew, he was gently scooping her up into his arms. This was it. They were crossing a line they had never crossed before but neither one of them objected. Pam motioned to him where her bedroom was, and after he had opened her door, he whispered to her between kisses, "Are you sure?" to which she nodded an eager yes and his lips crashed onto hers once more.

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Hope this wasn't TOO sappy! If I get enough reviews, the next chapter will continue with their move to Austin!


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